


High Beams

by Angelikah



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Misunderstandings, Model!Caroline, Racecar Driver!Klaus, Secret Relationship, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 02:37:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17778986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelikah/pseuds/Angelikah
Summary: Caroline's summer plans consisted of landing a job as a car model to network for acting gigs and to make a little cash. Nowhere in that agenda was there time for attracting the attention of an arrogant playboy racecar driver. Klaus disagrees.





	High Beams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ECBE73](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ECBE73/gifts).



> Hi Charlie!! I'm sorry that this doesn't *directly* fill any of your prompts, but you seemed pretty open to anything, so I hope you like it anyway. 
> 
> Thank you so much to the various friends who endured my anxiety and worries about this fic, especially Luiza, Laura & Kelly. You're wonderful!!

Caroline sometimes regretted turning down her shot for Miss America.

At the time, handing the Miss Virginia crown and the ticket to the Miss America pageant to Elena Gilbert (the first runner up) seemed like a good idea. She’d landed a job as a car show model and had thought it would entail getting paid to travel around the country for the next year in exchange for memorizing a few car facts. You couldn’t make it as a pageant girl without liking being the center of attention, and she was used to all eyes being on her. What she wasn’t used to was being required to interact with and smile at anyone who came up to her with questions, comments or propositions.

“Do you actually know anything about the cars, or are you just here to make them sell?”

Caroline’s smile stayed fixed on her face as she turned around mid-wave to face the guy who had spoken. “I can definitely answer any questions you have about the cars or the company,” she said politely, resisting the urge to cringe back at the acrid stench of cologne that invaded her space as the guy moved closer. He was tall with dark hair and blue eyes and a predatory smirk that made her stomach curl in disgust.

“Okay, in that case what’s the maximum speed the car can go?”

“199 miles per hour.”

“How fast does it take to accelerate from zero to sixty?”

“Three and a half seconds.”

“How many miles to a gallon?”

“Fourteen in the city, twenty-two on the highway,” she said, wondering if she’d ever go an entire show day without some asshole giving her a rapid fire car quiz just to see if they could trip her up. She wasn’t into cars at all, but she did take her job seriously, and probably knew more about every single Audi (and each of its main competitor models) than the average car geek. It was always satisfying to answer each easy question with a cheery “fuck off, buddy” smile until the asshole in question walked off, but she sometimes had trouble keeping herself customer-friendly when she was hungry, and she hadn’t had breakfast, so she was now approaching hangry.

“Do you know anything about the company?” he asked.

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything you can tell me.”

She stared at him for a second before figuring that he’d asked and she might as well recite the entire wikipedia page. She was about to when someone cleared their throat. “Excuse me, darling. I have a question.”

“Sure! How can I help?” she asked, her heart stuttering a little in her chest at the accent. She vaguely recognized the man from somewhere, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on where. He was quite tall and held himself in a way that emitted an easy confidence, a teasing smirk twisting his mouth, and she felt her heart stutter slightly in her chest.

“Do you come with the car?”

Ugh, never mind.

“No, sorry,” she said, knowing that she didn’t sound all that sorry at all, and her entire body relaxed as she saw Bonnie hurrying over, her heels clicking on the concrete with half an eye on her phone. “I have to go take lunch, but it was nice talking to you,” she lied before walking off.

As she walked away, she heard the accented man ask Bonnie if _she_ came with the car, and Caroline was unable to stifle a snicker when she heard Bonnie’s response. “No, especially considering your clear inability to recognize that making sexual advances towards someone who is obligated to be courteous to you or risk losing their job abuses the fundamental power imbalance inherent in such a dynamic. Also, I’ve heard that pick-up line thrown at my girls at least fifteen times today. If you’re going to be a skeeze to them, at least be a creative one. Now, if you have any pressing questions about the actual product I’m happy to assist you while she takes lunch.”

God, she loved her manager.

“Excuse me, love?”

“Yeah?” she asked, turning around and meeting clear blue eyes and a boyish grin, dimples cutting into the man’s stubbled cheeks. She resisted the urge to give him a good up-and-down glance, trying to keep her eyes fixed on his face, though she did see the delicious way his henley settled on his shoulders in her peripheral vision.

“I’m Klaus,” he said, holding out his hand, and she shook it, not quite sure what else to do.

“Nice to meet you,” she said, Bonnie’s warning about not giving her name out to random strangers echoing in her head.

He seemed to take it in stride, nodding. “Right, well I feel that I must apologize for the behavior of my brother and his idiot friend. I heard Damon giving you quite the pop quiz, and Kol tends to have difficulty discerning whether it’s an appropriate time to pursue a lady.”

Realizing he must mean the guys she’d just had talking to her, she smiled politely. “Thanks. I’m pretty used to it, though.”

“I’d imagine so,” he murmured, and this time his eyes did slide up and down her form.

She let herself indulge in a quick glance herself, though she crossed her arms over her chest in what she hoped was a gesture that would indicate that she wasn’t interested, though she kept her tone polite. “I keep it professional with all of the attendees, so I’m sorry if--”

“I’m not an attendee. Well, not technically.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I was invited for publicity,” he said and she tried not to grimace.

“Racecar driver, then?”

“Yes. Two world titles.”

He was clearly attempting to seem modest, his hands stuffed in his pockets with an expectant look of someone who was after ego fluffing, and she didn’t want to enable that kind of behavior.

“That’s nice. Anyway, I’d love to talk to you more, but I’m on lunch, so I have to--”

“Allow me,” he said quickly, offering his arm, and she stared at it for a few seconds.

“Umm...”

“I’d like to buy you lunch,” he said, his tone indicating that he thought she didn’t understand what he was implying, and she raised an eyebrow.

“I can tell. Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather not,” she said, keeping her tone as mild as possible before walking off towards the food stands, and he hurried to follow her, falling in step beside her.

“At least allow me to accompany you, then.”

She debated saying no, but he glanced at her, looking more intrigued than anything else, and she decided that just this once she would capitulate. If he didn’t keep making advances he’d be a good potential reference for future modeling gigs, and she knew Bonnie would kill her if she managed to piss off the one famous person she’d met so far in her career.

“Okay.”

“Excellent,” he said with a grin, a spring entering his step. “So, might I ask what brings you to the show?”

“I wanted to travel around the U.S., and after I won Miss Virginia I felt like it would be a good time, and this seemed like a good way to do it.”

“It sounds like you’re a bit overqualified.”

She shrugged. “I don’t mind it. What about you? Why did you decide to be a racecar driver? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“That’s the fun of it. The adrenaline rush is intoxicating. The sort of thing you experience when you’re doing something you know you shouldn’t.”

He glanced at her again, his implication clear, and she felt a flush creep up her cheeks that she tried to stifle. “I guess,” she said, walking up to the nearest food stand. “Thanks for walking me over. Um, I’m going to eat now.”

He seemed to consider whether to push for a few seconds before nodding once and shooting her another grin. “It was lovely to meet you, Caroline.”

“Good to meet you too,” she said, and it took until they were closing up for the day to realize that she’d never actually given him her name.

* * *

She was just dressing her salad when someone plopped down opposite her at the cheap card table, and she looked up at the familiar voice. “Hello, Caroline.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked, careful not to sound too accusatory. He’d come to a few of the shows and lingered on the sidelines, usually managing to engage her in conversation while she was eating lunch. She’d like to say it pestering, but in her heart of hearts, she knew it was at least nice to have someone to talk to about something that wasn’t cars or terrible pick-up lines.

“I decided to pop in. See if anything had changed.”

She raised an eyebrow. “No. It’s the same cars every time so we can advertise them. That’s kind of the point.”

“I didn’t mean the cars, love.”

She rolled her eyes, looking back down at her salad. “No, nothing’s changed.”

“And if I were to ask you to come to dinner after the show?”

“No. I still have to keep it professional. Even if I wanted to, we have to be on the bus by six.”

“And if you didn’t have to be professional?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her eyes narrowing as she took a bite of her salad.

“If I asked you for dinner after you’d finished all the shows. Would you consider it?”

She swallowed, stabbing a cherry tomato with her fork a bit harder than necessary. “You’d seriously wait another two months for one date?”

“For you, yes.”

“Why?”

“I fancy you.”

“Okay,” she said, the word drawn out.

“Just a dinner date, Caroline. I promise that I won’t try to push you into anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

She kind of wanted to point out that she’d made it clear that she was uncomfortable with the dinner date, but since her main reason for discomfort was not wanting to have a one night stand with some random apparently famous racecar driver, she figured she could give him a pass.

“Okay. If you’re still interested after the show’s over with, I’ll go. Do you have a pen? I can give you my e-mail.”

“Thank you, love,” he said, reaching into his jacket pocket and producing a small travel pen, handing it to her with a smile. She scribbled her e-mail on a napkin and handed it to him.

“My lunch is over now, so I have to run.”

“See you soon, Caroline.”

She rolled her eyes as she turned away, but once he couldn’t see her face she allowed herself a small smile.

* * *

 

Caroline bit her lip to stifle her laughter as she read Klaus’s latest email. She’d slowly warmed up to him as they corresponded, his wit and story-telling ability distracting her nicely from the stress of whether Bonnie could get her a few auditions now that the show was over. He was smart and funny, if a bit arrogant, and seemed to genuinely want to hear about her life, peppering her with questions that referred back to previous emails to show he was listening. She was careful not to put too much in writing, not wanting some embarrassing anecdote or venting session to pop up on TMZ in a few years, but from the conversations they’d had he was definitely growing on her.

He hadn’t blatantly asked her out since they’d seen each other in person, but he’d dropped hints that he lived in the area and would definitely be unopposed to seeing her if she had time. She hadn’t taken him up on it yet even though she was tempted. She had been telling herself that she wanted to get situated in her acting career before she started dating, and just because Klaus had cute dimples and a hot accent didn’t mean that she should derail her goals for a little taste.

Still, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t have a friendly (and frequent) email conversation, right?

She was about to hit ‘reply’ when Bonnie called, the blare of the ringtone echoing loudly through Caroline’s cramped studio. She nearly dropped her phone in her haste to answer it, her heart pounding in anticipation. “Hey, Bon.”

“Hey! How are you?”

“Good, thanks. You?”

“Fine!” Bonnie said, her tone cheerful enough that Caroline was certain it was good news. “Are you free Thursday?”

“Yeah, totally. What’s up?”

“I have a friend who might have something for you. It’s probably just a walk-on role, but--”

“I’ll take it,” Caroline said quickly, eager to do something other than sit around her apartment watching YouTube videos. “When and where?”

“His studio in West Hollywood. I’ll text you the address. Can you be there at nine?”

“Totally!”

“Great! If they like you and you click with the cast there’s a possibility of you coming back later on in the season.”

“I’ll knock ‘em dead,” Caroline promised, making small talk for a few more seconds before they hung up.

She couldn’t help the silly smile that stretched across her face, her entire body buzzing with adrenaline. Somehow she’d landed a _real acting part_. A tiny piece of her, one that had a voice that sounded suspiciously like her mom, had insisted over and over that she wasn’t good enough, that she’d never achieve her goals. Now she was one step closer.

She stared down at the screen where Klaus’s email was still waiting for a reply. She’d told herself to wait until she got a part, and now she had. Well, tentatively.

Maybe it was the giddiness of finally having a concrete gig to look forward to or maybe she’d been looking for an excuse to say yes, she wasn’t sure, but she found her fingers typing out her reply almost on autopilot.

 

_Are you free for dinner on Thursday?_

* * *

****C aroline munched on her hot dog as she watched the people slowly fill the stands for the race, the drivers all doing last minute checks and chatting with the people around them. Klaus was downing a glass of water, his eyes scanning the crowd, and they landed on her a few seconds later and winked. She smiled back, and suppressed a laugh as one member of the group of chattering girls in front of her gasped. “Did Klaus Mikaelson just _wink_ at me?”

To be fair, it’s not like anyone knew he wasn’t single. She’d been _very_ firm on that, wanting to make sure that any attention or offers she got were strictly because of her abilities and not because she was Klaus Mikaelson’s latest piece of arm candy. He’d initially protested but had come around to it when she promised that as soon as either her career took off more or they got serious they could go public, but not while they were still getting used to each other.

That didn’t make her heart pound any less as Klaus climbed in his car, the announcer starting to speak, and she was trying hard not to bite her nails as the engines revved and the cars shot forward.

The race was fascinating to watch, though she couldn’t suppress small gasps every time Klaus did something particularly dangerous, and she nearly screamed when he avoided crashing with another car by what seemed to her like inches. It was honestly more than a little scary. She’d been resisting going public for the six months they’d been casually seeing each other, but the nerves building inside of her whenever he seemed even slightly close to injury told her that she should probably take the idea of being open more seriously. She had already fallen hard for him, there was no point in denying that, and now that she had her part in her television show solidified there wasn’t much of a reason to keep them a secret.

As long as he didn’t die in a giant ball of flaming machinery before she got to ask.

She knew that the races had a time limit and the longest she’d have to tolerate her not-yet-boyfriend having a series of near death experiences was two hours, and she found herself obsessively checking the time on her phone. Klaus seemed to get more aggressive as time went by, and she was almost surprised when a horn sounded as he crossed the finish line.

He’d won. She couldn’t help but let herself smile brightly as he climbed out of his car and took off his helmet, and he met her eyes again. She sat through the announcements and trophy distribution impatiently, and when it was clear that it was finally over she got up to leave, ignoring the guy next to her who wasn’t happy that she was blocking his view. She knew Klaus would have a few interviews and photo ops after the race, but he’d managed to get her on the guest list to a nearby party at his friend’s club to celebrate.

She arrived before he did, lingering by the hallway near the entrance until he came in and jerking her head towards the hallway as soon as they made eye contact, waiting for his infinitesimal nod before making her way down, slipping into one of the private offices and waiting for him to follow.

 

She watched him shut the door behind them with a click, his thumb pressing the lock button before he turned to her. She couldn’t help but let her eyes rake up and down his body, checking for the injuries she always worried would result from his recklessness, relief flooding through her when she confirmed he looked perfectly fine. “I’m happy you’re okay,” she said, feeling a bit embarrassed at the admission, though Klaus didn’t seem to mind considering the pleased look on his face.

“You were worried?”

“Of course,” she said, her hands on her hips. “You’re driving at like, two hundred miles per hour in what’s basically a tin foil box while other people pull dangerous maneuvers around you. I’m always worried you’ll get yourself killed even though I know that you’ll probably be fine.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he said, clearly going for soothing even though they both knew that the adrenaline rush he loved came with more than its fair share of chance. The sentiment still made her warm though, the way he took her hand and pulled her against his chest to press a kiss to her temple making her feel at least a little better. “I’ll always come back to you, sweetheart.”

“You’d better,” she said without thinking, her breath catching once she realized what she’d said. He looked smug at her admission that she was at least in theory in this for the long haul, something he’d been trying to coax out of her for months. “I’m not ready for you to die on me,” she added, trying to deflect, and from the look in his eyes she could tell that he knew what she was doing. He didn’t press though, instead tracing the zipper of her dress with the tip of his finger to make her shiver.

“I’m glad you came.”

“I wouldn’t miss you winning,” she teased, pressing a kiss to his jaw and ending it with a flick of her tongue, not missing the twitch of his cock against her thigh. “We should celebrate.”

His lips were on hers the moment she finished the sentence, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips making her melt into his arms. She let him turn them around and press her against the door to pin her with his hips, their kisses growing more frantic and needy by the second. Even as he’d reassured her she was still rocking from the adrenaline of his near misses, wanted to trace every inch of his bare skin with her fingers to confirm that he was alive and well. She pushed the hem of his henley up to sneak her hands beneath it, brushing her fingers across his abs. He groaned into her mouth when her nails dug into his skin, smiling into the kiss when he ground against her. “Like that?” she murmured when he pulled away for air, their noses brushing. 

“I’d like your nails better scratching down my back while I’m inside you,” he teased between kisses, already hiking the dress around her hips. She could hear people moving in the hallway outside, the door much too thin for her tastes considering how much he seemed to like to hear her moan his name. There was a thrill to it, knowing that people might hear them, might know exactly what they were doing. She felt his hands brush against her skin as he unzipped her dress, the straps drooping down her arms to reveal the lace edging of her bra, the light, teasing touch enough to make her clench her thighs in anticipation. She was breathless when he pulled away to look at her, his eyes dark as he took her in. 

“How do you want me?” she asked, arching her back when he cupped her breast through the fabric of her dress and bra, squeezing lightly to make her knees buckle.

“I suppose we only have time for me to take you once before the other guests get suspicious,” he murmured in her ear before pressing light kisses to her neck, nipping the soft skin to coax out a soft moan. “I do find myself torn, however. Having your pretty lips wrapped around me before I come on your breasts is enticing, I must admit. I’d love to watch you charm everyone in the next room with them none the wiser to my mark under your dress. You’re so determined to keep me your dirty secret, and the knowledge that if the fabric would dip just a bit lower we’d be found out would give you the pretty flush I find delightful. Would you like that?”

She felt her core throb at the idea, imagining talking to everyone in the room while she reeked of sex, still wet with anticipation and need while Klaus’s come dried between her breasts as a reminder of their escapades. 

“I would,” she admitted, squirming as Klaus snuck a hand underneath the hem of her dress to trace her inner thigh, chuckling when she spread her legs wider in hopes he’d touch her where she needed the friction the most. 

“But then I’d denied the lovely sounds you make when you come around my cock,” he continued, pulling her in for a deep kiss as his fingers stroked the damp lace covering her pussy before pressing against her clit. “I do love it when you let me fuck you from behind, pinning your wrists and taking you as I please. You moan so beautifully for me, sweetheart. Perhaps it would be just as satisfying to watch you adjust your skirt to ensure no one sees the evidence of how you spread your legs for me.”

“Klaus...”

“Tell me what you want, sweetheart,” he demanded, rubbing her clit more firmly but not enough to make her tip over the edge. “Do you want to come around my cock or draw out the anticipation for hours? I’ll happily take you home with me either way, but I know you like to be teased.”

“From behind,” she stuttered out, not sure whether she could take a few more hours of torture. “I want you to fuck me.”

“Good girl,” he murmured, pulling back to let her turn and pushing up her skirt. “Palms stay where they are, all right?”

“Yeah.”

“Spread your legs for me, love.”

She obeyed, her forehead falling against the door as he pulled her thong to stretch between her knees and buried two fingers inside of her to check how wet she was. “Perfect,” he murmured.

She could hear the clink of his belt and the zip of him undoing his fly before he was pressed against her entrance. He began to kiss her neck again as he pushed inside, reaching to lace their fingers together when he pinned her hands down. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, nipping her earlobe. “So lovely.”

“You feel so good,” she gasped out, closing her eyes tight to enjoy the sensation of him filling her.

She could hear his heavy breathing behind her as his hips snapped to fill her again and again, the murmur of her name when his head dropped against her shoulder making her clench around him. One of his hands moved between her legs to press against her clit, rubbing it in tight circles the way he’d learned she liked. “I’m close. Come for me, sweetheart.”

“Just a little more. Harder,” she breathed, moaning loudly when he obliged her and biting her lip when he chuckled behind her. 

“I don’t mind it when you moan for me, love. You know I’d like nothing more than to tell the whole club, the whole world, that you belong to me.”

The possessive words shouldn’t have turned her on even more, but somehow they did, the combination of his need for her and how she knew people could have heard, could  _ know _ , getting her close enough that if he moved  _ just a bit _ ...

“More, please,” she gasped, feeling herself tip over the edge when he pinched her clit and bit her neck lightly, her legs shaking as she clenched around him.

“Good girl. Just like that,” he murmured, his release following just moments later. 

He pecked her on the lips when she turned to face him, nuzzling her neck as he zipped her back up, his hand lingering on her ribs. “Someday I’ll convince you to admit it,” he murmured, searching her face.

“Admit what?”

“That you’re mine. That you want me.”

“I do want you,” she confessed. “Just...I’m not ready yet. Okay?”

She saw something dark flash across his face, but he nodded anyway, clearly forcing a smile. “I’ll wait, Caroline. You know that.”

“Thank you,” she said, pulling him in for another long kiss, this one less fierce, less hungry. It was a promise, one she intended to keep. “I promise it’ll be soon,” she said after she pulled away, slightly breathless. 

“I’ll wait as long as you need. I’d rather have you in secret than drive you away.”

It felt good to hear him say that.

“Okay, I need to clean up really quick,” she said, following with another peck on the lips. “Text me when you’re ready to leave and I’ll meet you to drive back to your place.”

“Can’t wait.”

She opened the door and poked her head out to make sure the coast was clear before shooting him one last smile and making her way to the ladies’ room. It had been a long time since she’d been this happy, she realized as she freshened her lipstick and inspected her neck to make sure Klaus hadn’t left marks. She couldn’t help but wonder whether she was being too stubborn, whether she should let them go public. She wanted to so badly....

She’d think on it. 

After making sure that she was hickey-less and fluffing her hair, she exited the restroom to mingle, stopping when she heard someone say her name. Turning, she saw Klaus talking to Kol and Damon a few yards away.

“I don’t have time for a relationship, Kol,” Klaus was saying flatly. “Nor do I want one, especially with an actress looking to use me to claw her way up the totem pole.”

“I think you’re giving yourself too much credit. You’re not _that_ famous,” Damon said, and Caroline saw Klaus shrug, bringing his glass to his lips and taking a sip.

“More famous than Caroline Forbes,” he drawled. “She’s pretty, but I wouldn’t look for anything from her but a good shag.”

“She does seem like she has more legs than brains,” Kol said, and Caroline felt her heart clench when she saw Klaus chuckle, not denying the sentiment.

Had Klaus been using her this whole time? Had he let her develop feelings for him just to keep her around? She felt her eyes grow hot as tears welled up within them, and she took a deep breath, trying to fight them down.

Klaus could take his romantic texts and pretty presents and manipulative _lies_ and shove them up his ass.

* * *

 “I have to do _what_ for the movie?”

“Learn to drive a racecar.”

Caroline stared at Bonnie, trying to figure out if she was serious.

“That sounds dangerous.”

“You’ll be completely safe. It’s choreographed. They even got Klaus Mikaelson to come in and teach you. He’s apparently a fan.”

“Oh, I’ll bet he is,” Caroline muttered, trying not to remember the way his hands felt on her skin. It had been six months, though. He was probably over her. She was _obviously_ over him, after all.

No matter how many times she’d wished her fingers were his cock.

Over. Him.

“No. No way.”

“Why not?”

“Can’t you just get a stunt double?” Caroline asked, ignoring her question.

“We need you to be able to say in your interviews that you had a ton of fun learning how to drive like a pro.”

“Okay, I’ll lie.”

Bonnie gave her a withering look. “Really, Care?”

“We’ll give them a legit reason.”

“Like what, exactly?”

“I don’t like cars?” Caroline tried.

“Caroline...”

“I’m not a thrill-seeker, I get motion sickness... Oh! We could say that I’m morally opposed to contributing to global warming! That’s good press _and_ an excuse...”

“You did skydiving in your last movie, you’ve expressed a love of roller coasters in at least three interviews, and nice try but you own a Hummer.”

“Bonnie...”

“Why are you so opposed to it?”

“Let’s just say that I’m not a huge Klaus fan,” Caroline said, trying to be tactful.

“Have you ever even talked to him after the car shows? I know he was interested, but you never went home with him, did you?”

Caroline internally winced. She’d ignored his calls and texts since the party, hadn’t even responded when he ran into her at her favorite Starbucks and breezed right past him, pretending not to hear. What he’d said (or not said) had hurt more than any breakup could have, and even three months later it still felt raw. She’d managed to keep the not-so-brief fling a secret so far, though she saw that _he_ ’ _d_ dropped a few hints to the press just after she’d cut him out of her life, adding insult to injury.

“No. We’ve met in passing since then and he just...” she trailed off with a shrug.

“Seemed like a douchebag?” Bonnie supplied helpfully, and Caroline nodded quickly, latching onto the excuse. “Yeah, he kind of is, but this is your first real movie. I don’t think you want to ruffle anyone’s feathers.”

Caroline pressed her lips in a thin line. She’d told Klaus over and over that she wasn’t going to compromise her career because of him, and even if this was a slightly different situation than the one she’d originally envisioned, she wasn’t about to start now. This was a huge opportunity, and she wasn’t about to blow it because of Klaus’s commitment issues. “Fine.”

Bonnie gave her a huge smile. “Great! I think you’ll have a lot of fun!”

* * *

 

Caroline was not having fun.

Well, technically she hadn’t started the lesson yet. They hadn’t even gotten in the car. Still, Caroline could definitively state that from the second she saw his stupid dimpled smirk up until she would be joyfully released back into the world in a few hours there would be no fun involved whatsoever.

Zero.

“Hello, Caroline.”

Ugh, and he was doing that stupid duck-his-head-and-grin thing he did when he was teasing her, his dimples cutting into his cheeks.

“Hi,” she said, keeping her voice purposefully neutral and trying to be mindful of the crew around them. As far as they knew, she and Klaus had barely interacted and there would be no explanation for her frostiness.

“Are you ready?”

She was tempted to bite out a resounding ‘no’ but refrained, instead nodding an affirmative and letting him open the door for her and getting into the car, fumbling for the seatbelt and clicking it into place as Klaus stood beside the window, peering in.

She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to begin to explain what she was supposed to do, but he didn’t seem all that interested in beginning their lesson, instead clearing his throat and looking at her. It was almost like he was nervous, but that was silly. He hadn’t cared about her at all, right? Sure, her ghosting him might have bruised his ego a little, but it wasn’t like he’d been emotionally invested in her.

“Well?” she prompted. “What do I do?”

That seemed to clear him out of whatever moment he’d been having, and he gestured to the gear shift next to her. “Put your hand there and your foot on the accelerator. Don’t press down yet, though.”

She struggled to listen as he explained the basics, too focused on the fact that he was right next to her and smelled really good and was as annoyingly charming as ever, sneaking small inside jokes into his monologue with a flash of a smile. She kind of hated how much she missed him, how much she wanted to _touch_ him. What she’d overheard should have driven away all her feelings and left her cold and distant, but instead all she wanted to do was get closer.

What was worse, he didn’t seem like he didn’t care about her, making it hard to focus on why she’d ghosted him in the first place. The smug smirk at having successfully baited her when she succumbed to the temptation to revive one of their old frequent bickering topics about his “real life” driving was the same one he used to wear when he was trying to get her flustered, dimples cutting into his cheeks.

“I guess that explains why you won’t use a turn signal,” she snapped out of habit after his particularly pointed comment about how she wasn’t aggressive enough with her merging to cut off her imaginary opponents.

“Turn signals show your evil plans to your nemises, sweetheart.”

“Fellow drivers on 101 are not your nemeses,” she said exasperatedly. “They’re just trying to get to work.”

“It shows weakness.”

“It’s _polite_ ,” she emphasized. “And it’s how you don’t crash.”

“I make a living by not crashing,” he pointed out, and she shot him a glare as she shifted in her seat, adjusting her headrest.

“Yeah but most people aren’t professionals. Being in your car was almost traumatizing.”

“Not all the time, if I recall correctly. Sometimes you even found it pleasurable,” he said smugly, and she felt heat rise in her cheeks. She turned to look at the track in front of her, clearing her throat.

“I used to,” she said stiffly, her heart clenching when she saw a flicker of disappointment on Klaus’s face. “Let’s do another lap.”

He seemed to come back to himself, giving her a smirk. “Of course, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me sweetheart,” she said before pointedly speeding away, holding the wheel tightly.

The rest of the lessons continued much in the same vein. Klaus would bait her into bickering and make her feel safe and warm again before she realized her hands were too close to the fire and jerked away, clearing her throat and changing the subject. Over the three weeks they spent together before she filmed the scene, she found herself wondering whether she’d misunderstood or misheard.

She desperately wanted that to be the case.

The day of filming was uneventful, Klaus lingering on set for his last day, and once they wrapped Caroline felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest.

She was on her way back to her trailer when she heard the director call her name, and she whirled around to face him.

“Great job today, Caroline! Really.”

“Thanks,” she said, practically preening from the compliment. “It was fun.”

“I’ll admit I had my doubts in the beginning, but I’m glad Klaus insisted on hiring you.”

“What?” Caroline asked, feeling her heart drop to her stomach. The director looked surprised at her reaction.

“He helped do the casting?” he offered, the words half a question, his eyebrows raised. “I thought you knew.”

“I didn’t,” she managed to say, trying not to show how stung she was by the information. She’d thought she got the part on her own merits, that it had just been a weird coincidence, but knowing that Klaus had gone out on a limb like this _hurt_. She’d spent six months telling him that she didn’t want to get ahead because of him, that she wanted to succeed on her own, and now her first big movie part, the accomplishment she wanted more than anything, ended up being because of him after all?

At least she managed to get back to her trailer before the tears fell.

* * *

It was the last day of filming and Caroline had mixed feelings about it being over. Bonnie had called and said that she might have another few opportunities for her, but she was sad to leave the rest of the cast. Klaus had turned up for the wrap party, which she’d expected but dreaded, and she was trying to figure out how to bail without seeming rude. She snuck out the door to walk down the hallway, checking to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying towards the door leading off set.

“Caroline.”

She froze, squeezing her eyes shut before slowly turning around to face Klaus, trying not to look like she was facing a firing squad. “Hi.”

“I’d like you to tell me why you left, Caroline,” he said quietly, taking a step or two toward her.

“The party was fun, but I kind of want some time to my--”

“You know very well that I don’t mean the party, love. You were so excited that I’d won that race, practically dragged me into an abandoned closet to celebrate in what I interpreted to be quite an enthusiastic matter, and then you seemed to just fall off the face of the earth. Why?”

He sounded more irritated than upset, but she knew him well enough to see the anger in his eyes, the betrayal, and she felt the familiar tug in her stomach that came every time she thought about how she’d ended things.

“Look, I was a coward, okay?” she said shakily, fiddling with the hem of her jacket. “I typed like, twenty different variations of ‘I think you’re great but this isn’t going to work’ but I couldn’t make it sound like it wasn’t just a generic break-up line.”

“Better a generic break-up line than ghosting,” he muttered, and she huffed.

“I mean, yeah. I said I was a coward. I just...you meant so much to me and it hurt that you didn’t feel the same way--”

“I didn’t feel the same way?” he repeated incredulously. “What on earth made you think that?”

“I heard you and Kol and Damon that night after I went to the bathroom to fix my make-up.”

“You’ll have to be more specific, sweetheart. I don’t recall anything of note.”

“You said that you didn’t think you’d ever want a relationship or to be ‘tied down’,” she said, using airquotes. “And that you’d only be with someone for sex and that no one you’d ever been with meant anything to you.”

He stared at her for a few seconds before closing his eyes as if he was getting a headache. “Caroline, I thought you wanted to keep it a secret.”

“I did.”

“All right, then what was I supposed to do, exactly? Tell my brother, the biggest gossip to ever live, that I was in a relationship but I wasn’t going to tell him who I was with? It was the only way I could think of to make sure that he didn’t find out.”

“Oh,” she said awkwardly.

“I love you, Caroline,” he said, his voice low and serious. “I acknowledge that I wasn’t planning to be with you in the long-term at the beginning, but at some point that changed. I was willing to wait until you decided to go public. I wish you had come to me to get things sorted out.”

“I wish I had too,” she said, a lump building in her throat. “I’m sorry. And I love you too, obviously. That’s why it hurt so much to hear, and I knew that if I went to talk to you about it and it turned out you’d actually meant it I would have felt humiliated and awful. I was scared to take that chance.”

“Do you really think so low of me? That I would do that to you?”

“At the beginning, yeah. I don’t know. I googled you and you dated like, every B-list celebrity ever, and it was intimidating. I totally thought you were using me.”

“And what about after the beginning?” he asked dryly. “I should hope that I convinced you.”

“You did,” she said quickly, grabbing his hand instinctively, curling her fingers through his, letting out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding when he didn’t try to pull away. “I don’t know. It was just like all of my insecurities came out at once and I felt so stupid for trusting you, you know? It hurt.”

He gave her a jerky nod and squeezed her hand lightly, apparently not knowing what to say. She took a shaky breath, stepping towards him and reaching to cup his cheek. “Can we try again? I promise that I’ll communicate better.”

“Am I going to continue being your dirty secret?” he asked, a tinge of bitterness creeping into his voice.

“No. I will literally shout that we’re in a relationship from the rooftops if you want,” she said seriously, though she couldn’t stop the twitch of her lips as she fought down a smile. “And from now on I promise that I will always come to you to talk about things before freaking out, okay?”

“Good. I will do my best to make sure that you don’t have a reason to worry,” he said, and her breath caught at the way he looked at her. She’d missed the tenderness in his gaze so much, the small smile he seemed to save just for private moments with her.

“One more thing. I hate to ask this, but I didn’t get this part just because of you, right?” she asked, her  voice quivering slightly, and he shook his head.

“No. I requested that you get at least a small part so that I could corner you to talk, but the decision to give you a lead role was made by the casting directors. I promise.”

She gave him a huge smile, and he let go of her hand to settle his palms on her hips, and she took the hint, reaching to cup his cheeks and pulling his lips to hers.

God, she’d missed him...

His lips felt so good moving against hers, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips before tangling with hers, flicking against the roof of her mouth in a way that made her moan. She pulled away after a few seconds, slightly breathless, her forehead resting against his.


End file.
